Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Season 9
Season 9 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 8.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 9 Progress Shield
February 20, 2022: Critical Race Theory
Feb 20, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver explains what critical race theory is, what it isn't, and why we can expect to hear more about it in the coming months. Plus, the Canadian trucker protests.
February 27, 2022: Sex Work
Feb 27, 2022 · 40 min
As long as sex work has existed, so have efforts to end it. John Oliver explains why criminalizing the trade hasn’t helped the most vulnerable people involved, and why we should st
March 6, 2022: Wrongful Convictions
Mar 6, 2022 · 29 min
John Oliver talks about the current practices of overturning wrongful convictions and how it is quite unsupportive of even apparently innocent people. He advocates for urgent refor
March 13, 2022: Tickets
Mar 13, 2022 · 30 min
John Oliver explains why concert tickets are so expensive, who’s making money off of them, and which One Direction is his favorite. Plus, the introduction of some appalling anti-LG
March 27, 2022: Harm Reduction
Mar 27, 2022 · 40 min
John Oliver discusses why overdoses in the U.S. have been on the rise and what we should, and shouldn't, be doing to prevent them. Plus, a rather odd yearly tradition in Nenana, Al
April 3, 2022: Trucks
Apr 3, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver explains how truck drivers get paid, how they often don’t, and how companies exploit them to increase profits. Plus, Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn's tales of
April 10, 2022: Data Brokers
Apr 10, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses how much data brokers know about us, what they’re doing with our personal information, and one unusual way to change privacy laws. Plus, Russian State TV lies
April 17, 2022: Police Interrogations
Apr 17, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses the tactics that can make police interrogations so damaging, particularly to the innocent. Plus, a look at Dr. Oz's campaign for U.S. Senate.
May 1, 2022: Environmental Racism
May 1, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses environmental racism, how both government and industry are failing people of color and how zoning is manipulating the same people to live in adverse condition
May 8, 2022: Abortion Ruling/Philippines Election
May 8, 2022 · 42 min
John Oliver discusses the current presidential election in The Philippines and why Bongbong Marcos is - albeit in a very limited and unflattering way - sort of like Ant-Man. Plus,
May 15, 2022: Utilities
May 15, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses the incredible amount of power we give electric utility companies, how weakly regulated they are, and why they get such bad Yelp reviews. Plus, a look at Alab
May 22, 2022: Subway
May 22, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses one of the largest franchises in the U.S., how their business model doesn’t always serve franchisees, and what it all has to do with Korean dramas.
June 5, 2022: School Police
Jun 5, 2022 · 35 min
In the wake of the mass shooting in Uvalde, John Oliver discusses the push for more police in schools and whether they are the answer to school safety issues, or a new problem alto
June 12, 2022: Tech Monopolies
Jun 12, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses tech monopolies such as Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook, and how to address the hidden harm they can do. Plus, a look at the hotly contested U.S. Senate r
June 19, 2022: Rent
Jun 19, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses why rent has become increasingly unaffordable, what we can do to combat a system that is stacked against tenants, and, of course, Dakota Johnson’s complex rel
June 26, 2022: Water
Jun 26, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses the water shortage in the American west; plus, the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
July 24, 2022: Inflation
Jul 24, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses the causes of inflation and what we've done about it; plus, updates on the beach dolls and the banana sculpture.
July 31, 2022: Mental Health Care
Jul 31, 2022 · 34 min
John Oliver discusses the cracks in our broken mental health care system; plus, a look at who's running to become the UK's prime minister.
August 7, 2022: Monkeypox
Aug 7, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses the recent monkeypox outbreak in the U.S., how the authorities have fumbled the response to it, and some aspirations for this coming autumn. Plus, Walter from
August 14, 2022: Afghanistan
Aug 14, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses what’s happened since the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, how their ongoing crisis has even more to do with our decisions than you might think, and how to pro
August 21, 2022: Carbon Offsets
Aug 21, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver explains what carbon offsets are, what they claim to do, how they might be making climate change even worse, and, of course, how Oscar Isaac is getting hotter.
September 11, 2022: Law & Order
Sep 11, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses the wildly popular television franchise, what it’s been teaching us about law enforcement, and how it differs from the reality. Plus, some important developme
September 25, 2022: Bolsonaro
Sep 25, 2022 · 33 min
John Oliver discusses Jair Bolsonaro, how he's run Brazil as president and how far he might go to maintain power after the upcoming election. Plus, the absurd stunt by Florida's Go
October 2, 2022: Museums
Oct 2, 2022 · 40 min
John Oliver discusses some of the world's most prestigious museums, why they contain so many stolen goods, the market that continues to illegally trade antiquities, and a pretty so
October 9, 2022: Crime Reporting
Oct 9, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses the outlets that cover crime, the incentives that drive them, the flawed sources they rely upon, and an alternative name for Miss Piggy. Plus, why teenage gir
October 16, 2022: Transgender Rights II
Oct 16, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses the latest round of attacks on transgender rights, what’s at stake, and how kids are schooling the ignorant adults on this topic. Plus, why the Crimean Bridge
October 30, 2022: Bail Reform
Oct 30, 2022 · 35 min
With the U.S. midterm elections approaching, John Oliver discusses the issue at the core of many republican attack ads: bail reform. Plus, the turmoil in British politics after the
November 6, 2022: Election Subversion
Nov 6, 2022 · 35 min
With the U.S. midterm elections approaching, John Oliver discusses what happens after the votes are in, how some elected officials might try to negate legitimate election results,
November 13, 2022: The Monarchy
Nov 13, 2022 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses the future of the British monarchy, what they have and have not acknowledged about their past, and how Winston Churchill preferred to go down waterslides. Plu
November 20, 2022: Qatar World Cup
Nov 20, 2022 · 40 min
John Oliver discusses the Qatar World Cup, the human-rights violations happening in the sporting event’s host country, and what perfection really means to David Beckham. Plus, the